Marketing Is Everybody’s Job
Last month we discussed what it means to be marketing oriented. This month we’ll give you some ideas on how to become marketing oriented in your approach to business.
Being a marketing-oriented company requires a holistic approach. That is, every aspect of the company needs to be attuned to customer needs. The image the company presents to the customer (current or prospective) encompasses far more than just the sales force. It includes everything from letterhead and company publications to the condition of the premises, product quality, and the way each phone call is answered. Every function must contribute to customer satisfaction, and everyone needs to adopt the philosophy that the customer pays his or her paycheck.
This isn’t simple, because it’s so easy to slip into a mindset in which your group’s work becomes an end in itself (not part of the larger, customer-focused plan), and other groups are regarded as competitors or barriers to success. When it’s working right, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and sales cooperate to achieve shared goals.
What Can You Do?
Obviously, this is a complex subject, and we’ve only scratched the surface. You can dig deeper with any number of textbooks, seminars, or business publications. But you can start to reorient your company (or your job) one facet at a time. Here is a variety of mini-examples that might be useful to you:
A neighborhood hardware store recognized the changing lifestyles of city residents (longer commutes, busier schedules). To meet customer needs, they extended store hours on nights and weekends to serve the harried do-it-yourselfer.
A car repair shop realized that, although they defined themselves as serving all foreign makes, they were missing a lot of business due to the perception that they handled only Volkswagens. They changed their name to reflect their mission, acquired a mailing list of Saab owners, and began a successful direct marketing effort to attract new customers.
Before a gas station closed for a month for extensive remodeling, the owners took care to alert their steady customers, explain the shutdown, and promote their grand re-opening. This helped the customers to view the inconvenience as a temporary one and return once things settled down.
Recognizing that old customers are the best targets for new or related products and services, a tool manufacturer used their accounts receivable system to extract customer name and address information for a mailing on their new product line.
Marketing-oriented companies have the customer at the heart of their mission and plans. They practice an integrated approach in which every function and program is constantly evaluated in light of its impact on the customer. For these companies, marketing is a pervasive philosophy and a core strategy, not just a department or a short-term project. And as these examples show, even a small company can make their marketing focus pay off and become a more profitable and productive company.
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Last modified
April 04, 2005